Honourable organizers,

Dear guests and participants,

I would like to thank you for inviting me to participate in the panel "The role of women in times of crisis".

Allow me to inform you of the role and status of Ukrainian women in these challenging times of crisis that the terrorist country russia has brought upon us.

In order to understand the role of women in times of crisis, it is obviously necessary to return to the well-known meaning of the word – crisis is a time of great disagreement, confusion, suffering; an extremely difficult or dangerous situation. The word crisis has many synonyms: calamity, disaster, catastrophe, ruin, hard times. The word war is not among them.

In time of war, the usual way of life for both women and men is destroyed. "Normal life will return when we oust russia. This is the only way. This is the way to our victory," said the President of Ukraine in one of his daily addresses, which always begins with: "Dear Ukrainian men and women! " (Украинци! Украинки!).

Hostilities continue and human losses increase, both among the civilian population as well as among the military personnel.

The military aggression of the russian federation against Ukraine was the result of acute and dangerous challenges for various groups of women and men, among which displacement, loss of income and the risk of poverty, violence, including sexual violence in the territories of Ukraine temporarily occupied by russia, and also the danger of human trafficking.

According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, as of May 2022, approximately 6.2 million people were forced to leave their homes and go abroad as a result of the russian invasion. These are mostly women with children, elderly women, persons with disabilities. Approximately 85% of those seeking asylum in Europe are women, most of whom are highly qualified specialists who plan to return to Ukraine after our victory.

Critically important infrastructure has been destroyed in most of the regions of Ukraine affected by the russian occupation. This limits the possibilities of providing care for children of preschool age, women with such children do not have the possibility to work.

Such women have limited access to health care and education. In such situations, the social support provided by the Government, as well as humanitarian aid, should work at full capacity. As of April 2022, women accounted for 72% of social support recipients.

In addition to murders and torture, russian military personnel in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine commit sexual violence as a means of military operations.

The mechanism to protect victims from such a crime is almost impossible to implement, since law enforcement agencies of Ukraine do not have access to these territories.

Participation in life-threatening events always affects the psychological health of both women and men.

Women whose lives are cut short in seemingly relatively peaceful circumstances evoke even more sympathy. On October 9, 2022, in the village of Myropil, the Sumy region: "In the very center of the village, in the recreation area near the store, russian military personnel dropped a grenade from a drone. The employee of the store, who was nearby at the time, was wounded. Unfortunately, they could not save her due to massive bleeding from the shrapnel wounds. The woman died. She was 41 years old. Three children were left without a mother. The husband and the eldest son are military personnel, defending Ukraine in the ranks of the Armed Forces. The other two children are schoolchildren.”

There are women who took up arms, and during the war, alongside men, are on the line of fire, performing combat tasks.

According to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, 15% of the personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are female military personnel. Today, approximately 57,000 women are employed by our Armed Forces as both civilian personnel and military personnel. The number of women in the Armed Forces of Ukraine is increasing.

This increase occurred, along with a change in legislation in the field of military service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Until 2018, women had the opportunity to hold administrative positions. While volunteering, women did not have the appropriate support. On September 6, 2018, the Law of Ukraine on ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men during military service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations was adopted. Today, the list of positions in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which women actually hold, has been expanded.

The Veteran women's movement is gradually developing in Ukraine.

Today, there is a well-known advocacy project "Invisible Battalion", which was started with the documentation of the participation of Ukrainian women in the war against the russian federation. Each story is unique, special.

No less special are the Ukrainian women who occupy key positions in local communities or lead military-civilian administrations, staying with their communities in times of danger and making key decisions.

In addition to the fact that Ukraine has joined all the main international treaties in the field of gender equality between men and women, namely the "Beijing Declaration", the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, in 2020-2021 Ukraine received the official status of a participant of such international initiatives as "Biarritz Partnership" and "Coalition of actions to promote the achievement of gender equality".

In 2020, Ukraine approved the National Action Plan for the Implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 "Women, Peace, Security" for the period until 2025. In August 2022, the Government of Ukraine approved the State Strategy for Ensuring Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Men for the period until 2030.

Ukraine has an extensive institutional system regarding issues of gender equality, including the International Parliamentary Association "Equal Opportunities" in the Ukrainian Parliament, and also, the Government Commissioner for gender policy, and women's organizations, which are currently solving the entire humanitarian spectrum of issues - evacuation, accommodation, medicine, food.

International advocacy among women's organizations is also gaining momentum. The activation of women's organizations during the war is happening very rapidly, the role of women is increasing, since there is a vital need to protect their lives, territory, and the Ukrainian nation alongside men from the genocide that the russian federation is committing.

In July 2022, the Ukrainian Women's Congress held a Conference for the first time in conditions of the full-scale invasion of the russian federation in Ukraine - the theme of the Conference was women's leadership during the war and after the victory. The Congress called on international organizations to promote the activities of Ukrainian women’s and human rights organizations that document war crimes and provide assistance to women who have survived war-related violence.

The Congress underlined that the issue of arms for Ukraine is a humanitarian issue today and called on the international community to provide Ukraine with weapons that will help the Armed Forces of Ukraine to defeat the enemy faster, as well as to strengthen sanctions that will help weaken Russia and never allow bloodshed and large-scale war to happen again.

Today, October 14, Ukrainians celebrate the Defenders day for both male and female defenders of Ukraine (Ден на бранителите и бранителките на Украина). On this day, we bow down to the bright memory of those who died for the freedom and Independence of Ukraine. Our unbreakable and unconquered spirit helps to survive and defend European values.

The victory of Ukraine means the security of the entire Euro-Atlantic area. There is no alternative to this. Ukraine's application to join NATO is the path our country is taking in the direction of the Alliance's open doors. If it is necessary to take measures to complete the integration process, Ukraine is ready to take them. To eliminate nuclear blackmail, prevent the loss of human lives and stop the destruction caused by the aggression of the russian federation.

Thank you for your attention and support of Ukraine!